Revelations
by TheSpaceWolf
Summary: Post T.A.H.I.T.I. Skye is on the road to recovery from her gunshot wounds, but getting restless while having to stay in the medical pod. The team is on a mission and she decides to do some harmless snooping. However, snooping soon turns to intervening when the mission goes wrong. She pays the price for her interference, leaving Coulson and Ward less than happy with her.


Revelations

If she had to stare at the ceiling for one more second, she might actually explode. Sleep was the last thing she wanted to do. She was pretty sure that she'd slept enough to last her a month. Listening to music and working on her laptop only entertained her so much before she lost interest even in that. They wouldn't let her help on any of the missions and she tried not to let it bother her.

It had been a week since the miracle drug had saved her life and there was only a small surgical stitched incision where her wound used to be. Something she knew would become a scar that would never fade away. It was a constant reminder of how much of an idiot she could be. Her body was still weak and sore from the overall traumatic experience, but staying in this bed was making her restless. On several occasions she'd tried to escape her little prison and had not been successful yet. Simmons seemed to always sense when her butt left the mattress.

Skye figured the whole team was keeping a close eye on her. She knew there was a video feed set up in the conference room and lab in case Simmons or Coulson ever wanted to check on her. It was a miracle she was alive and it seemed it was still sinking in with her friends. She couldn't deal with the very gentle way Simmons and Fitz worked with her, the way May watched her when she thought Skye wasn't paying attention, the way Ward avoided her, and the way Coulson seemed to constantly find a reason to visit her. They all worried for her in their own ways and it deeply saddened her, despite it slightly feeling nice that she was cared for that much.

From the way Coulson got all edgy and tight lipped when she mentioned coming back to work, she wondered if he would ever let her back in the field again. Skye knew she'd made a mistake in going after Ian Quinn alone and probably deserved whatever tongue lashing or punishment she got. Yet somehow she didn't think it was punishment that kept her out of the field. If she didn't find it so terribly aggravating, she'd think it was sort of sweet that they wanted to protect her.

Having enough of the bed, she decided to get up and stretch her legs, figuring since everyone except Fitz was on mission for at least another hour, no one would know if she went on a short walk around the Bus. Maybe she'd even do a little digging on their current mission and check out what the team was up to right now.

Her progress was slow but steady as she exited the pod, slipping up the spiral stairs when she noticed that Fitz was nowhere to be seen. The Bus was quiet as she passed the drink bar and she wondered where Fitz had gotten off to in the middle of the day. She worried that he might be in the lab or in the cargo hold which would make going for a walk tough. Deciding to snoop around a bit for fun, she went into the conference room and accessed one of the computers. Tapping into the com links that the team was using, she didn't see the harm in listening in to what they were working on.

She smirked as she heard Coulson admonishing Ward and the new guy, Trip, for bantering when they were supposed to be doing their job. May, as usual was silent on her end, while Simmons did her best to talk them through a lab full of stuff, not wanting them to touch anything that could possibly be hazardous. Skye guessed that Simmons had agreed to go out in the field in her place, without Fitz because she'd insisted that Skye needed to be looked after by someone. Skye was so tempted to join them on the com links, but knew she'd get in so much trouble and it would give her escape away.

Skye frowned when gun fire suddenly broke out over the links and she heard Ward shouting before his com went silent. Trip's com went down too and she could hear Simmons demanding to know what had happened. Coulson was yelling out orders, but he sounded winded. She didn't think twice about it, going into the prep room, she gingerly put on a vest, strapped a gun holster to her hip and grabbed an extra ear piece. She cut it on and positioned it in her right ear. She checked the clip in the gun and made sure she remembered the difference between the safety and cartridge release.

It was completely stupid to go out there so soon after her injury, but she didn't care. All she could think about was that her team was in trouble and they needed back-up. They'd done everything to save her life, now it was time for her to return the favor. Trying to be prepared, she picked up a knife and slipped it into the side of her boot.

Not wasting any time, she walked as fast as her body would allow her back down to the lower level, past her med-pod and the lab where she could just see the top of Fitz' curly, blond head. He was working so intently on some gadget on the table, headphones on and most likely listening to something classical. His foot was bobbing rhythmically against the stool and his back was almost completely to her. She successfully sneaked past him, smiling to herself at her own ninja skills. Thankfully the cargo door was already open and all Skye had to do was jog past Lola and one of their SUV's to get outside.

She realized the second she set foot on concrete that they'd landed the Bus on the roof of the Hydra secret lab they were supposed to be disbanding. It made it easier for her to just go straight to the roof access door and slip quietly inside. The gunfire got louder as she made it down the several flights of stairs to the main floor. She prayed her friends were okay as she stopped at the final door between her and the fight. Her chest was tight and her skin was prickling with heat, the recovering wound beginning to ache with each intake of breath. Taking a second to lean against the wall, she realized that she might not be that much help after all.

Fighting every self-preservation instinct she had, she opened the door and stepped through, gun raised and safety off as her eyes scanned the area for any threats or signs of her team members. Not seeing anyone in the vicinity, she crept toward the commotion she could hear from an adjacent room.

Just as she turned the corner, a body collided roughly with her own, sending her sprawling hard onto the concrete floor and the gun sliding away and out of reach. A Hydra agent stood menacingly above her, gun raised for the final blow. She reached for the knife in her boot, kicking out with her other foot and catching him off guard. The weapon discharged, but the aim was wild as he went down from her kick. She flinched as the bullet hit somewhere off to the left of her head, but quickly scrambled for power over the fallen agent. They grappled for the upper hand as she tried to stab him and tried to get the gun away from him too.

Sweat beads gathered on her forehead and her wound screamed in pain as the movements pulled at the stitches. Skye was determined to not let him get the best of her though and finally got a lucky knee shot to his gut and twisted his gun arm far enough away that she was able to drive the knife into his chest with her other hand. Almost having to fall on the knife to put enough pressure for it to go through his vest. He finally went still under her, and exhausted, she fell over next to his dead body, sagging from the excursion.

She laid there until she was almost sure that she wasn't going to pass out, then with a struggle, got to her feet and picked up his fallen gun. Putting a hand to her stomach, she took slow deep breaths until her heart wasn't hammering so hard and the pain dulled to an ache once again. She continued her way closer, hoping and dreading she'd come across one of her teammates.

Finally, she spotted Ward across the way taking on two Hydra agents at once. He was doing well for himself, but she could tell by his movements that he was beginning to feel the fatigue of the fight. A third Hydra agent came out of nowhere gun raised and aimed right at Ward's back. Not being able to help it, she shouted a warning, raising her own gun and firing without a second thought. Ward, jolted by her shout, moved out of the way just in time for the bullet to wiz by him harmlessly. Her bullet struck the Hydra agent in the left side underneath his elbow, but he didn't go down. Instead, he immediately rounded on her returning the fire.

She didn't even have time to react before the bullet struck her, knocking her back and onto the cold, cement floor again. It felt like she'd been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer and for a second she panicked, not being able to take in any air. She blinked and Ward was kneeling next to her, looking so far beyond angry that it scared her. Feeling the blood soaking through her shirt and vest and she just knew that she'd been shot again.

"Damn it!" he swore loudly when he noticed the blood.

Despite his murderous expression, his hands were gentle as he peeled away the Kevlar and got a good look at her wounds. She figured he was too angry to speak as he tried to slow the blood flow with one hand while the other went to his ear piece. Having a com link in her own ear, she could hear Coulson demanding to know why Ward hadn't answered him and asking if he was alright. May it seemed was with a wounded Trip.

"Sir, I'm alright but you better get over here," he said tersely, eyes glaring down at her and making her wish she could sink into the floor.

"Where are you?" Came the boss's quick reply.

"Main lab, near the west stairwell entrance."

Shuffling and heavy breathing could be heard over the link. "I'm on my way." Ward pulled his hand away from the ear piece and placed it on the wound too.

He spoke after a couple of tense seconds. "The impact of the bullet caused your previous wound to bleed again. You must have busted your stitches, otherwise that wouldn't have happened." Even though his tone was full of accusation, she wanted to sag with relief that she hadn't been shot again. Ward still didn't look happy though. His jaw was clenched shut and every muscle in his body seemed to be coiled tightly.

"Skye?!" Coulson said, when he neared the pair, shock and fear spiking in his tone.

"She's okay," Ward was quick to respond when he saw the look on their team leader's face. "Just busted her stitches and reopened her wound."

Skye tried to smile weakly, but it fell short when Coulson's expression morphed into anger. He didn't shout at her or glare like Ward did though. Instead, he put a hand to his ear piece and ordered the team to evacuate the building and head back up to the Bus.

"Can you stem the blood flow?" he asked, his voice crisp and cool as he addressed Ward. Skye knew Coulson only pulled away emotionally when he was truly pissed. It worried her.

"Yeah," the specialist responded, pressing down harder and making her wince.

"Coul-Coulson," she gasped out, her body contorting with the pain. "I'm sor…"

He cut her off harshly. "Not now, Skye."

They decided to pick her up and carry her back to the Bus. She made it half-way up the stairs before she lost consciousness from the combination of pain and exhaustion.

…

She stirred, opening her eyes slowly to see herself once again back in the pod and hooked up to machines and monitors. Her chest was numb and she knew that Simmons must have filled her up on painkillers again. She didn't know how long she'd been out or what time of day it was, but seeing Coulson sprawled in the chair next to her fast asleep, she figured it was late. She noticed he hadn't bothered to change out of his rumpled and bloodied shirt that was still rolled up at the elbows. The only thing missing was the tie that had been removed some time earlier, presumably before he went to sleep.

There were dark shadows under his eyes and for once he wasn't clean shaven; light stubble dusted his jaw and chin. Deep worry lines looked carved into his forehead and she could just see gray strands of hair beginning at his temples. With a frown, Skye realized she was probably responsible for all of the stress she was putting on him. Constantly worrying about her couldn't be healthy for him.

"He hasn't left your side the entire six hours you've been out," a voice said from the door and she startled slightly, just noticing May standing in the doorway of the pod. Even though it was just a simple comment, her tone suggested she was admonishing Skye. Her meaning was clear though. She should be ashamed for doing this to him. "Somehow, Simmons managed to put you back together again after you almost ruined all our efforts to save you. If it were up to me, I'd throw you off this plane for your little stunt."

May turned and left, leaving Skye beat red in embarrassment and shame. She was right, Skye deserved to get kicked off the team for what she did. Coulson woke next to her, but said nothing as he sat up in the chair and rubbed a hand down his face. She could tell the sleep hadn't been peaceful.

"On a scale of one to the Hulk, how mad are you?" she asked, going for a joke but also wanting to really know the answer to the question.

He didn't meet her gaze yet, which she was slightly glad for. "Raging," he said, but his voice was eerily calm which only served to spook her even more.

"I can explain," she stated weakly, trying futilely to sit up in the bed.

She blinked and he was standing over her, hands like vises around her arms, effectively stopping her progress toward a complete sitting position. "Don't try to sit up," he said sharply, his face tight with anxiety.

Feeling the new stitches pulling, she settled back against the pillows. "Good idea." He eyed her for a second more as if he was seeing if she'd really stay put, before he took a seat back in the chair again. He leaned forward on his elbows and waited silently.

"Leaving the plane had not been my plan," she began, only to be immediately stopped short by the snort that surprisingly came from Coulson. "I was bored and restless; tired of having to spend one more day in this cell of a room. I knew you guys were on mission and so I thought it wouldn't hurt anything if I took a little walk around the Bus."

Coulson said nothing more so she continued. "I was checking things out in the conference room when I heard you guys on the comms..."

"You were snooping, you mean," he clarified, tone slightly off and she narrowed her eyes at him, but went on with her story.

"I was listening and was only content listening until I heard Simmons scream and a bunch of gunfire breakout. Trip and Ward weren't answering and you sounded..." She grew suddenly uncomfortable under his expressionless stare. "You sounded winded, tired, maybe even injured and I sort of freaked out. I knew it was completely stupid to suit up and go down there, but I really thought I could help. You were down a man because I was injured and it forced you to take Simmons and I know that worried Fitz. I felt bad that I was out of commission and couldn't help you guys. I-I really am sorry. I never meant to put any of you in danger..."

His face contorted. "Is that why you think I'm mad? Because your little stunt might have put the rest of us in a compromised position?" His hands clenched. "While that may be slightly true, I'm mad because after everything we've done for you, after what I've done for you, you choose to throw it all away over some impulsive decision. Miracle drugs don't grow on trees, Skye. If you'd been shot again today, there would have been nothing I could have done about it."

Tears prickled behind her eyes. "I swear, Coulson, I wasn't trying to throw it away. I was trying to make it worth it, make me worth it. I wasn't just worried about losing you guys. I thought if I could somehow return the favor for you all putting everything on the line to save me, I could even things out a little bit; not feel like I owe you for saving me."

His expression morphed from anger to surprise instantly. "You think you owe us for saving you?" If she didn't know better she'd think that hurt colored his tone.

"Well, I definitely wouldn't call us even," she said sarcastically, watching the way he drew back a little in the chair and his eyebrows furrowed.

A shadow fell over his face. "I didn't save you so you could be in debt to me, Skye."

She had the audacity to roll her eyes. "I know, I know. You saved me because Agent Coulson leaves no man behind. I get it."

"No," he responded.

Skye raised an eyebrow. "No? What do you mean, no?"

"You don't get it," he said simply. "I didn't just save you because you're a part of this team. It was so much more than that. I've lost more than my fair share of friends to Hydra. I didn't want to lose anyone else, especially a girl as young and brilliant as you. You have so much potential, Skye, and the last thing I want is to see that go to waste."

She looked pitiful. "I-I understand. I'm sorry, A.C." For the most part she could handle anger. She'd been on the receiving end of it enough times as a kid to not let it faze her, but the way he was looking at her now made her want to crawl under a rock. It was always the disappointment that tore her to pieces.

His face softened slightly. "I know you are."

"Are you still angry?" she asked, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

"Extremely," he concluded, and her shoulders sagged. "What you did today was reckless, regardless of your intentions. You put not only the team and mission in jeopardy, but also yourself. You could have died today, Skye, again and that is not acceptable." He folded his arms over his chest. "Your escaped today will most likely keep you bed ridden for at least another week. Once Simmons officially releases you from her care and you are free to move about the plane, we'll talk about the consequences of your actions."

"May thinks I should be given the boot…" she said, knowing it was exactly what she deserved, but for some reason she hoped Coulson disagreed.

He pursed his lips. "Do you think that you deserve to be kicked off?"

"Sure I do. I was insubordinate wasn't I? Defying direct orders to stay put…" she trailed off, her eyebrows furrowing. "But, a part of me hopes that despite all I've done, you'll let me stay."

His mouth upturned ever so slightly even though his eyes were still tired. "Skye, throwing you off this plane wasn't a possibility I was ever considering. Making you leave would have been more than just a punishment for you and no matter how angry May seems, she would hate to see you go too."

"You sure you won't get sick and tired of putting up with me?" she asked, joking but somewhat being more truthful with her hidden feelings.

"I'm positive. I may be an old man, but I think I can handle you." He gave her one of his eye crinkling smiles that made her stomach pool with warmth.

"Oh, you're not old A.C. You're just seasoned, experienced."

He chuckled. "Might have to remind Ward of that next time he challenges me in a sparring match. He's convinced because he's ranked up there with Romanoff that he can take me."

Skye grinned, letting herself find this amusing despite the situation. "He's in for a rude awakening then," she agreed, glad things were beginning to lighten up.

Glancing down at his watch he got a good look at the time and sighed. It was late and he needed to shower and get some rest in an actual bed before anything else went to hell. He would have rather stayed with Skye a little longer, but he had a clairvoyant to catch. His eyes traveled down of their own accord to her stomach and his hands clenched at his sides. If anything he was going to make the man responsible pay. She noticed his sudden shift in mood and knew their little conversation was over for the moment, even though it seemed they still had much to talk about concerning SHIELD's secrets and the miracle drug now responsible for bringing them both back from death.

He stood from the chair next to her bed. "I'll let Simmons know you're awake and see about getting you some food." He figured after six plus hours she might be hungry, even if it was just soup because it would be another couple of days before she was given the okay for something more solid.

Coulson rolled his sleeves down and put his suit jacket back on which had been haphazardly thrown over the back of the chair when she'd first been brought in earlier. He straightened his tie and tried to make himself a little bit presentable despite the dried blood stains that smeared the front of his white button up. Seeing another ruined suit, Skye silently vowed to get him another, one that hadn't been messed up by her, again.

Seeing her expression, his lips quirked. "It's just a suit, Skye. Believe it or not, I've done my fair share of ruining my own clothes without anyone else's help. Besides," he shrugged, looking down and touching feather light fingers to the dark red blotches. "I'd prefer a suit that didn't remind me of one my agents bleeding out in front of me." He said it so casually that she almost didn't notice the way his fingers twitched and his voice wavered slightly on the word agents. His tone spoke of having lost too many people close to him already and that he most certainly wasn't looking to add to the list.

He dropped his hand. "I have to go," he said suddenly and apologetically. "If you want, I'll send Ward down here. I think it would be good if you two talked things out about what happened," he suggested carefully, knowing that the specialist was beyond pissed at her for her stunt and only a precise conversation alone was going to fix the damage done.

She bit her lip, thinking back to his murderous expression before she'd passed out in his arms. Skye knew he was more than angry with her and she needed to fix it before it was too late. With her luck, he probably already wanted nothing to do with her.

"He'll probably refuse to see me," she said, her tongue dry in her mouth with the bitter taste of shame and guilt. He'd have every right to hate her.

"Talk to him," Coulson urged again, coming closer to the bed and reaching for her arm that was closest to him and letting his hand close over it, firm but gentle. "Don't let him push you away. I promise it will get better once you talk to him." She suddenly got the idea that he was speaking from experience about his own past relationship with May, like he was offering the same advice that he should have taken long ago.

"I'll try," she said, and seeming satisfied with her answer he dropped his hand, instead shoving both in his pockets.

"Simmons will be down here in a little while, but Skye," he paused, his tone changing as he waited until he knew that he had her full undivided attention. "I expect you to stay strapped to this bed until you're cleared to get up, am I clear?" He disliked how much he sounded like a reprimanding father, but from the look on her face she got the point.

"Crystal, sir," she mumbled, slumping in the bed as she realized that she was going to be stuck in there for the foreseeable future, again. She despised the chastising tone he took with her, but knew her actions had more than warranted it. If she was going to act like a reckless kid than he was going to treat her like one.

He let a smirk come to his face at her downtrodden expression. "Don't look so upset. I'll bring by some Debbie cakes and board games later if I get a good report about you from Simmons," he promised, and she narrowed her eyes at him like she couldn't decide if he was mocking her or not. She had the sudden childish urge to stick her tongue out at him.

"Just send Ward down, annoying him to death will be entertaining enough," she said, ignoring his teasing gaze.

He smiled. "Sure thing," he agreed amicably, knowing she was being serious about annoying her S.O. It was good to hear her in good spirits, especially after their previous conversation He just hoped Ward would be understanding about the whole thing and not be too hard on the girl.

Those two were just starting to find their pace with each other and Coulson hoped that something like this wouldn't tear them apart. Sometimes their partnership reminded him so much of his own with May that it surprised him. No wonder, he felt the need to make sure they made amends. It had all hit a little too close to home.

As he turned away from her, going through the sliding door of the medical pod, he smiled slightly to himself, knowing that if anyone could make things right again with Ward it would be Skye. Somehow he knew it would all be alright. They were going to catch the Clairvoyant and he was going to get his answers about the TAHITI project. It was all just a matter of time.

…

END


End file.
